Cooper's Hill annual Cheese-Rolling contest, Gloucestershire

The Cooper's Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake is an annual event held on the Spring Bank Holiday at Cooper's Hill, near Gloucester. Traditionally a round of Double Gloucester cheese has been sent rolling down a 200-yard-long hill, and participants race down after it. The winner is awarded the cheese, though a replica is now used for the actual chase!

The first known written evidence of cheese rolling appears in a message written to Gloucester's town crier in 1826, and even from that it was apparent that the event was an old tradition. It has become ever more popular, with people from Canada, Australia and Nepal taking part!

The occasion originally took place on Whit Monday, before being moved to the Spring Bank Holiday.

There are two different stories of its origins.

The first is that it evolved from a requirement to maintain grazing rights on the common for local people.

The second stems from a pagan custom of rolling objects down the hill. It is supposed that bundles of burning brushrood were rolled down the hill, representing the end of winter. Supporting this is the traditional scattering of buns, biscuits and sweets at the top of the hill - said to be a fertility rite to encourage a good harvest.

Since 1988, local cheesemaker Diana Smart and her son Rod have supplied the cheese. Due to the weight and speed of the cheese (it can reach up to 70mph), organisers have utilised a lightweight foam version - meaning that it is less dangerous for the participants who try to catch it.

Until recent years, the contest had been managed in a quasi-official manner by nominated locals, but since 2010 the event has taken place spontaneously without any management.

Image Attribution: Dave Farrance, Creative Commons Wikipedia